Ignoring your senior pet’s beseeching eyes as you load a jumbo-sized Thanksgiving plate with all your family favorites is all but impossible. You are thankful for your pet’s constant companionship, and perhaps believe they have earned a feast, but treating them to a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole can land them in the emergency room. We discuss six Thanksgiving foods you should never share with your senior pet, as well as pet-safe alternatives, in case you can’t resist their imploring gaze.

#1: Turkey trimmings

Sharing a few bites of skinless turkey breast with your senior pet is OK, but filling their bowl with turkey skin, fat, and gravy is a recipe for disaster. After a sudden intake of fatty food, your pet’s pancreas releases a surge of digestive enzymes that can cause intense inflammation in their pancreas, and throughout their body. Pancreatitis typically causes abdominal pain, vomiting, and dehydration, and can become life-threatening, particularly in older, debilitated pets. Hospitalization with intravenous fluids and medications is often required for recovery. 

While not every pet who eats a rich holiday meal will develop pancreatitis, senior pets typically have more sensitive gastrointestinal (GI) tracts, and chances are good that a sudden diet change will lead to GI upset. 

#2: Garlic and onions

Your side dishes would be bland without onions and garlic, but all members of the Allium family, including shallots, chives, scallions, and leeks, are toxic to pets. Garlic is approximately five times as potent as onions, and only a small amount can cause significant toxicity. Cats and Japanese dog breeds, such as Shiba Inus and Akitas, are more sensitive to toxins, which can cause anemia and GI problems. Toxicity signs may not become apparent until several days after ingestion, which may make it difficult to isolate the cause of your pet’s illness.

#3: Raw bread dough

Any dough containing yeast can rise in your pet’s warm stomach, and pack a double health threat. First, the expanding dough can fill your pet’s stomach, creating an obstruction that requires surgical removal. Second, yeast produces alcohol during fermentation, which can be absorbed into your pet’s bloodstream and cause alcohol toxicity. Have a family member distract your senior pet in another room while you prepare your famous rolls, whether they are from scratch or frozen dough. 

#4: Dairy foods

Your pet’s GI tract is not prepared to digest lactose, despite consuming a milk-based diet many years ago. Any dishes prepared with milk, cheese, or butter, such as cheesy potatoes, buttery mashed potato casserole, or green bean casserole, which is also topped with fried onions, can cause GI distress as undigested milk proteins pass through your pet’s intestines. 

#5: Grapes and raisins

Grapes and raisins have been documented to cause acute kidney failure in dogs, although a toxic dose has not been established. Some dogs seem more susceptible to toxicity than others, with some unaffected by eating grapes, and others suffering toxicity after eating only a few. Since you cannot know whether your senior dog will be affected, keep them away from your raisin-studded stuffing and fruit salad. 

#6: Desserts

Your Thanksgiving meal encore will likely be a dessert table piled with pies, cakes, and other holiday treats. Your pet may beg for any people food they see, but they do not have a sweet tooth, and should not eat after-dinner sweets. In addition to being full of sugar and calories, desserts may contain pet-toxic ingredients, such as chocolate or xylitol. You likely know that chocolate contains toxic compounds that can cause GI upset, hyperactivity, and heart arrhythmias in pets, but may be unfamiliar with the artificial sweetener xylitol. Originally used in sugar-free chewing gum, xylitol can now be found in many more foods, including peanut butter. Xylitol ingestion can cause a dangerously low blood sugar drop and liver failure. Unfortunately, xylitol compounds can be listed on food labels in a variety of ways, including anhydroxylitol, xylitylglucoside, 1,4-anhydro-d-xylitol, and birch bark extract. Check labels for any ingredient containing the letters “xyl ” to keep your pet safe.

Pet-safe Alternatives:

If you cannot resist your pet’s pleading eyes, you can share a few bites of these pet-safe foods:

• Skinless, unseasoned turkey breast

• Plain, cooked sweet potato

• Fresh or cooked green beans

• Raw veggies, such as carrots, cucumber, or broccoli

For a longer-lasting treat, stuff a Kong with a frozen kibble and canned food mixture, or fresh fruit and yogurt, to keep your pet busy and out of the way during your holiday meal.